A New Perspective
by emeraldflash
Summary: It's Harry's unofficial Eighth Year in Hogwarts, and he's a single man. But will his single status last forever? Read along as Harry finds a mutual attraction and possible love with one girl in Hogwarts he never expected. Fast paced? Probably. AU? Definitely.
1. Chapter 1

I'm not sure why I wrote this; it just popped into my head, and I decided to roll with it since I like Hansy so much. There isn't as much of it as I would like. I'm still learning to write better, so any helpful reviews will be great!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters. That right belongs to J.K. Rowling. I just have fanfic ideas always bouncing around in my head and the uncontrollable urge to write them.

With all that said, for anyone that actually reads these little snippets at the top of every fanfiction, I'm sorry for wasting your time with my rambling. Enjoy!

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A New Perspective

In all his seven years at Hogwarts, there was no other girl who had riled Harry Potter's short temper more than the Slytherin Princess herself, Pansy Parkinson. Her position at Draco Malfoy's side had set her up for his occasional angry outburst. Her taunts, barbs, and calling him "Scarface" at every opportunity certainly didn't help her get into his good graces.

In fourth year, when she had worn one of those awful Potter Stinks badges and found a way to permanently stick it to Potter Stinks, Harry's anger always flared at the sight. The Parkinson heiress had seemed to enjoy pushing him to his limits and always walked away with an impish smile on her face. Though, he couldn't help but admit that the smile had lit up her face and had left his with a slight warmth.

Then in fifth year, she had joined the Inquisitorial Squad with the rest of the Slytherin gang. The ebony-haired girl had always seemed to trail after him exclusively, waiting for any reason to dock points from Gryffindor. Occasionally, Harry had lost his patience and had a go at his pursuer. Their arguments had become legendary and quite the show for other students; they had often ended with the two yelling "Scarface" and "Pug-face" and then storming off.

Their hostility had finally come to a climax in Pansy's seventh year during the Battle of Hogwarts when she had screamed for Harry to be turned over to Lord Voldemort. The grey-eyed young woman was constantly shamed by the rest of Hogwarts for that, and she couldn't go anywhere in the castle without being on the receiving end of spiteful glares from Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws alike; she was even scorned by a couple of Slytherins who were trying to enter the good graces of other students.

Yet, the pale young woman never seemed to stagger as she shielded herself from the taunts and barbs, walking around the halls of Hogwarts with a shield of makeup and a confident smirk. In an odd sort of way, Harry had respected her perseverance from afar. He had chanced glances at her from across the Great Hall and in their shared classes to admire her determination.

It was in the middle of his unofficial eighth year, and Harry was in the Owlery tying a letter for Andromeda to the leg of one of the school owls. When he finished and watched the eagle owl fly into the distance, he heard a sound he was all too familiar with coming from above. He climbed the stairs slowly coming closer and closer to the source of the sound. When he finally came to the highest landing of the Owlery, he came upon the sight of Pansy Parkinson sobbing uncontrollably and sitting among old owl droppings.

She was sitting curled into a tight ball against the wall, knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around her arms, and her forehead resting on her knees. Her normally straight, ink-colored, shoulder length hair was matted and twisted in all directions as if she had gripped and pulled at it for the past hour. Pansy's chest rose and fell frantically with each whimper.

Harry froze at the scene before him, the stoic Slytherin Princess, Pansy Parkinson, bawling her eyes out on the dirty floor of the Owlery. He gave a slight gasp, and Pansy whipped her head up at the noise, showing him her tearstained makeup. Harry didn't know why, but he felt a twinge in his chest when her eyes met his.

"P-Potter," Pansy said with a shaky voice as she wiped her tears with the palm of her right hand. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"I was just, er," Harry replied, stumbling over his words. "Just sending a letter. I heard you, er…"

"Crying? Yeah," Pansy interrupted him her voice still shaking. "Well, go ahead and laugh at Pug-face Parkinson."

Harry couldn't explain, but he frowned at the name and got angry with the girl in front of him. "What? Why would I laugh at you," he shot back.

"Potter, I'm not sure if you've forgotten, but you hate me, and I…" Pansy said still trying to dry her eyes and clear her makeup. "I hate you."

Harry rolled his eyes and said, "I wouldn't say I hate you, Parkinson." He walked over to her and awkwardly sat by her side, not knowing what to do.

"Ha," Pansy gave a mirthless laugh. "What do you call the last seven years of our lives? And what are you doing?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know what to call what we have, but I don't hate you," he said, slowly and awkwardly resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Okay," Pansy said drawing out the o. "But you still haven't told me what you're doing."

"I'm consoling you, I think," he said with a lopsided grin and a small chuckle.

Pansy turned her head on her knees to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Harry fidgeted under her gaze. At that moment, sunlight came in through the Owlery windows and bathed the two students in its warm glow; Harry swore that was why his face felt warm.

"If that's what you're doing, you're doing a piss-poor job of it," Pansy said as she grabbed his hand and brought his arm across her shoulders.

Harry was at a loss for words. Here he was on the top landing of the Owlery with his arm around Pansy Parkinson, the one girl he had constantly fought for seven years. He certainly never expected anything like this to happen today, or this year, or decade. Harry tensed a little when Pansy laid her head on his shoulder.

"Well, then I'm sorry," Harry said not able to keep from chuckling, "I don't really have a lot of experience with crying girls. Do you want to talk about it?"

"That's not what I heard from Ravenclaw in fifth year, Scarface," Pansy replied without her usual bite at the nickname.

Harry was about to retort when he heard a light, melodic giggle. It was nothing like her grating, taunting laugh made at his expense. At the sound, the Owlery seemed to get lighter, or it could have just been from the sun.

Harry and Pansy spent the next hour like that. In silence on the top landing of the Owlery, their backs against the wall, Harry's arm wrapped around her shoulders, and Pansy's head resting on his shoulder. Aside from his sleeping arm, Harry felt rather comfortable; he even fell asleep after ten minutes.

At the end of their hour together, Harry woke with a silent yawn to a familiar weight on his shoulder. He looked down and saw ebony-haired shoulder length hair inches from his face, and he remembered whom he had slept with for the past hour. At the feeling of another small weight, Harry looked down to see Pansy's small hand gripping his waist. The soft breathing that barely echoed throughout the Owlery told him that Pansy had also fallen asleep. He looked out the windows and saw that the night sky was beginning to dot with stars.

"Pansy," he whispered, lightly shaking her shoulder. "Pansy, wake up."

Pansy gave a small grunt in response, gripped him tighter, and dug her head further into Harry's shoulder; he tensed and shivered at the feeling.

Harry shook Pansy a little harder. "Pansy, come on, you have to wake up."

The Parkinson heiress only brought her other arm across Harry's chest and grabbed onto him tighter. "Harry," she lightly moaned.

Harry's eyes almost comically widened at Pansy's voice. "Pansy," he squeaked out in a panicked voice.

Pansy slowly woke with a loud yawn at the sound of Harry's voice. She brought her hand up to rub her eyes, and Harry shivered at the loss of warmth. When she had raised her head and met Harry's eyes, hers widened just as large as Harry's had, and she jumped away from him. She rested her back against the opposite side of the Owlery, which wasn't that far considering they were on the highest part of the spire. Harry watched Pansy's chest rise and fall in shock as she regained her breath.

He moved his emerald eyes up to meet her stormy grey ones, which were alight with a spark of shock and fear. Seeing her still tear-stained makeup annoyed him for some unknown reason. A small rag lay at his side, and he cast a cleaning charm on it. After casting an Aguamenti charm on the rag, he moved to Pansy's side and kneeled down. Pansy stared into his eyes, questioning him. Harry held up the wet rag in response and lifted it to her face. With a hesitant nod from Pansy, he began to wipe away her makeup and dried tears. He lightly held her face still, resting his hand on her delicately soft nape.

The whole time, Harry's eyes never left Pansy's, and he could see the small flecks of blue in the enticing stormy grey. As he washed away her makeup, Harry couldn't help but notice how soft her lightly tanned skin was. Pansy didn't move a muscle under Harry's gaze and stared back with confusion. When Harry finally finished, their eyes were at least a decimeter from each other's. He nervously licked his lips.

It happened suddenly; Pansy leaned forward, and her lips gingerly touched his so quickly that he barely registered her touch. She leaned back against the wall, her eyes emanating worry and hope. Harry licked his lips again, reveling in the taste of Pansy and her lipstick. He quickly caught her lips with his and he felt like he was soaring over the clouds. She tasted like the salt from her tears and her strawberry lipstick, and Harry was drunk on her kiss. Pansy pushed back and wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers twisted in his hair. She turned them around, pushed him into the wall, and swung her leg over his legs, hungry for more. After what felt like an hour but was probably only a couple minutes, the two separated.

Pansy rested her forehead against his and calmed her heavy panting; Harry did the same. Her arms remained wrapped tightly around his neck, and Harry moved his hands to rest on her waist, drawing patterns with his thumbs. After she had calmed, she lifted her forehead off his and looked into his eyes again.

"Pansy," he began. "How long have you, er-"

"Liked you," she interrupted. "Hard to tell, really. I had a crush on you in third year. Probably fell for you around fifth year."

Harry's head spun with the information. He had never imagined this could happen, that the girl he had fought with for years would be confessing hidden feelings for him.

"Wait, fifth year, then our fights?" Harry said.

Pansy giggled, the melodic sound brightening the room once again and bringing a small smile to his face. "Ah, finally caught on to our sexual tension, Potter?" She said with a mischievous smirk.

"Harry," Harry said.

"What?"

Harry raised his hand and smoothed her hair, and Pansy leaned into his hand. "Harry. I figure we're on first name terms now."

"You're right, Po-Harry," she said. "After all, we did just sleep together."

Pansy laughed at the blush that overtook his face at her words. His blush only grew in intensity as he watched her actually laugh for once; it wasn't taunting or derisive like when she had laughed at him before. She lightly bounced with her unbridled joy, and her nose scrunched up. She even quietly snorted but quickly covered her mouth and nose, fixing Harry with a glare.

"That never leaves this room, Harry," she ordered leaving no room for discussion, and Harry just gulped and nodded in agreement.

Pansy looked out the windows and saw the brilliant light of the moon in the night sky. "It looks late. We probably missed supper."

"Probably," Harry said, looking out the window and still drawing patterns onto Pansy's waist. "I have an idea, though, if you're hungry?"

Pansy nodded warily, stood up from Harry's lap, and pulled him up. When they made their way down the stairs and came to the door of the Owlery, Pansy grabbed Harry's hand in a vice-like grip.

"Wait, Harry," Pansy said, looking straight into his eyes and pleading. "I know it seems like I have everything together but-but I'm not sure if I can. Everyone out there, they hate me, and I can see it whenever they look at me."

Harry looked at the girl in front of him clasping his hand with both of hers, her eyes emanating fear and holding back tears. He stepped forward and kissed her temple.

"It's okay," he said, fishing his invisibility cloak out of his school robe.

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" Pansy exclaimed. "You're full of surprises, Harry. This explains how you always seemed to get away from me fifth year."

"Yes, it's been in my family for a while, but it's a little small now," he said with a chuckle, wrapping his arm around Pansy, and pulling her to his side. "Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," she said, wrapping her arm around his waist and kissing his cheek as Harry wrapped the cloak around them.

As they walked down the halls, Harry enjoyed the warmth of Pansy grabbing onto his side and her vanilla scented hair. Her ink-colored hair tickled against his cheek and reminded Harry of soft silk. Pansy didn't let go of him for the whole walk. When they had finally stopped, they were in front of a large picture of a bowl of fruit.

"Where are we?" Pansy asked.

Harry reached out and tickled the pear, and it squirmed laughing and transformed into a knob. He opened the portrait and overdramatically held out his hand for Pansy. She giggled and graciously took his hand, stepping through the portrait only to freeze at the sight of the kitchens and the hundreds of house-elves. Harry laughed at her wide eyes and her mouth open in astonishment only for her to elbow his ribs in retaliation.

Pansy jumped when a sea of twenty or so house-elves ran over to the two, practically yelling, "Mister Potter." Like Pansy, Harry was uncomfortable at the attention and squirmed in place.

"Er, hello. Pansy and I missed supper, and we were hoping to find something to eat," Harry said, receiving furiously nodding heads from the house-elves.

They were herded by the house-elves over to a small table near the corner of the large kitchen.

An old, wrinkled house-elf battered away the rest and stood itself next to the table. "What does Half-blood Master and his Pansy wants to eat," it said, making both Harry and Pansy blush.

"Hello to you too, Kreacher," Harry said. "Pansy, is there anything you'd like?"

"Aside from the obvious," she joked winking and laughing at Harry. "Chicken Alfredo and elf wine."

"That sounds good. I'll have the same," Harry said to Kreacher.

Kreacher set to work making the food and ordering the other house-elves, leaving Harry and Pansy to talk. Least to say, it was rather awkward; the two didn't know how to begin talking to each other.

"So, er," Harry said, reaching out and holding her hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Pansy looked down at their joined hands and slowly ran her thumb over the top of his hand. "I have a feeling you're not going to let this go, so I might as well," she said her voice wavering. "You've seen the way everyone looks at me like I'm the next coming of Bellatrix Lestrange. They all hate me, and I don't blame them."

Harry could only watch as Pansy's tears flew freely for the second time of the day. He wanted so much to reach over and wipe away her tears, but his hand was gingerly swatted away and grabbed by her free hand.

"At first, I didn't mind it. Everyone already called me Pug-face Parkinson and stayed away from me, so I was used to it. But my friends, the people I thought were my friends, started to leave me alone. They didn't want to associate themselves with me; they cared about their reputations too much. Even Draco left, the boy who was betrothed to me only a couple weeks ago left and traded me in for little Greengrass. It was just too much, my oldest friend didn't want anything to do with me, and I was left with no one."

At that point, Harry couldn't hold back any longer. He had an intense hatred for Draco Malfoy once again, but that didn't matter. What did matter was the girl sitting in front of him, bawling her eyes out and shaking in anguish. He swiftly stood up and gathered her into his arms, resting her face in the crook of his neck. His shirt was quickly getting wet from her tears, but all of his attention went toward rubbing her back and running his fingers through her silken hair, trying to soothe Pansy as best he could.

"Shh, Pansy, everything's going to be okay. You're going to get through this," he whispered into her ear.

"No, I'm not, Harry," Pansy cried into his shoulder. "My family's dead. Voldemort killed them because they wouldn't join him. I'm all alone. No family, no friends."

"You're not alone, Pansy," Harry said, hugging her closer. "I'm here. You have me. As long as I'm here, you're not alone."

"Harry," Pansy hiccupped only to be cut off by Harry's lips.

Her lips tasted like tears, but Harry kept kissing her. He wanted to make it clear that he was never going to leave. They were kindred souls; Voldemort killed their parents, and he could relate to her loneliness, remembering the times when the school shunned him in second and fourth year. But he had friends to support him, to keep him from falling apart. He wanted to do that for Pansy, at least.

Harry separated from Pansy and cupped her face. Gently, he wiped away her tears away with his thumb, whispering assurances.

"Promise me. Please promise me you will never think like that, Pansy," he said and kissed her forehead. "You can always talk to me, and I will never, never leave you."

"Thank you, Harry," she said, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

They stood like that, arms gripping each other in silence. Their peace in the dimly lit kitchens lasted for a few minutes until Harry felt a slight tugging on his pant legs. He looked down to see a rather young looking house-elf holding a part of his pants between its elongated fingers.

"Mopsie is sorry to be ruining your moment, Mister Potter. Do you and Miss Parkinson still want to eat?" it said, and Harry looked up to see the other house-elves looking on with wary faces, some of the older ones with knowing smiles.

Almost in response, Pansy's stomach growled, and Harry laughed at the sound.

"I think that's a yes," he said in between chuckles and was poked hard in the stomach by Pansy for it.

"Watch it, Potter," she warned.

He chuckled and kissed her forehead once more before sitting them down next to each other. They enjoyed their meal in silence, too hungry to think about anything else, with Harry's arm wrapped around Pansy's shoulders. The meal was delicious, like all the other food made by the house-elves.

When they had finished, Pansy looked up at him and smiled impishly. "Harry, you have sauce on your lip," she said and held down his arm before he could raise it. "Don't worry. I've got it."

She raised herself up in her seat, grabbed his tie, and placed her lips on the corner of his mouth. Her tongue moved tortuously slow over his lip, licking the sauce, and running her tongue over his lips definitely longer than what was necessary.

"Tasty," she whispered seductively, making Harry's skin shiver in goosebumps in the warm air of the kitchen.

"Very," Harry replied, leaning down and catching her lips with his.

Before their kiss could get more heated, Harry and Pansy were shooed out of the kitchens by the house-elves. Outside the kitchens, they leaned against each other and laughed with blushing faces. Harry reveled at the spark in Pansy's beautiful grey eyes and her dulcet laughter. After a minute of just laughing, Harry placed his hands on her waist, and she had her hands on his shoulders.

"Would you like me to escort you to your common room?" Harry asked hoping she would say yes.

Pansy nodded eagerly with a bright smile on her face, kissed his cheek, and hugged his right arm. As she rested her head on his shoulder, Harry walked off to the dungeons. He reveled in the smell and feel of her vanilla-scented ebony hair. Halfway through their walk, Harry was almost sure she fell into a tired stupor as he guided her to the Slytherin dungeon. As he came closer to the dungeons, Pansy came back to her senses.

When she saw the blank, stone wall ahead of them, Pansy gave him a suspicious look, her elegant eyebrow raised. "Harry, this is exactly where the entrance is. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Harry only gave an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his neck in response. Pansy smiled, raised herself onto her tiptoes, and kissed his forehead.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me but you will later," she said looking into his eyes.

Harry chuckled and brought his lips down to hers, placing his hands on her waist and losing himself in her taste without her tears for the first time. He swore the feeling was better than flying a broom for the first time. With a groan, Pansy grabbed his hands and moved them to her bum. Pansy wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers twisting in his hair.

She separated from his lips, shocked. "Harry?"

"Yeah?" he said, already missing her full lips against his.

"Your invisibility cloak! We're not wearing it!"

"And?" he asked, kissing her face and neck.

"And someone could have seen us!" Pansy exclaimed.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked, taking his lips off her cheek and looking into her eyes.

Pansy bit her lower lip and searched his emerald eyes. "Well, no-"

"Then you shouldn't care, Pansy. I want to see where this takes us if you'll let me."

"Yes, Harry," her voice shaking in complete happiness.

Pansy grabbed the back of Harry's head and pulled him in for a deep kiss. He was sure his knees were going to fall out from under him and backed against the wall. The kiss continued for what Harry felt like an hour, and this time it probably was. Eventually, Harry got tired and separated his lips from Pansy's with a light pop. He set her down on her feet and laid his forehead on hers.

"If I kiss you one more time today, I don't think I'll be able to stop," Pansy said.

Harry chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"I guess so. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Pansy," Hary said, and as she was about to turn to the Slytherin common room, he lightly grabbed her wrist. "Wait. Would you like to go on the next Hogsmeade trip with me?"

Pansy gave him a brilliant smile. "I'd love to."

With his own smile, Harry turned and began to walk back to Gryffindor tower. As he walked, he wondered how the rest of the castle would react if he came into the Great Hall the next day with Pansy on his arm. Little did he know, Pansy was thinking the same thing as she prepared for bed.

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Well, after 4 days of grueling work and revisions on this, I am finally done. I'm not sure if I want to add more chapters to this or keep it as a one-shot, so I'll leave that decision for you (if I get enough reviews, that is). Just kidding! I hate it when people do that. I'm not obsessed with reviews; I just like to read them.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello to everybody who has followed this story, and welcome newcomers. This is emeraldflash after a particularly and embarrassingly long break between stories. First and foremost, to all the people who have followed my story, I am incredibly sorry that this new chapter has been a long time in the making. As much as I'd like to, I cannot put everything down in favor of fanfiction. I am a senior in college, I work, and I have an internship, so not a lot of time is left at the end of the day.

I would really like to thank all of the first reviewers who have inspired me to write more about this. *single tear* *sniff, sniff* Okay, with all the sentiment out of the way, please enjoy the second chapter of A New Perspective. (Wait a second, I forgot the disclaimer.)

Disclaimer: Despite all the Harry Potter fanfiction that is rolling around inside my head, I do not own Harry Potter, any of its characters, or Hogwarts. That right belongs to the incredibly creative and talented J.K. Rowling.

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In the Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter woke up with a start from a nightmare in the early hours of the morning. His skin was covered in sweat, and his heart was beating frantically in his chest. The raven-haired eighteen-year-old looked around his dorm room and saw his roommates sleeping soundly. Ron's snores permeated the cool air of Gryffindor Tower, and Dean, Seamus, and Neville heavily slept through his snoring.

After minutes of heavy breathing and waiting for his throbbing heart to subside, Harry mulled over his thoughts. This was the third nightmare of the month and the tenth since the war had ended. He had thought for the longest time that the nightmares would stop when Voldemort was defeated; however, they didn't stop. They had only changed. He now had nightmares of the last year; of Ron leaving him, and Hermione and not coming back; of Hermione being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange; and of Narcissa Malfoy telling Voldemort he was alive. Minutes earlier, he had a nightmare he never had before: the rest of Hogwarts listening to Pansy and turning him over to Voldemort.

Pansy. Lately, Harry had been having conflicting feelings about the beautiful Slytherin. If anyone were to ask him a couple of days ago how he felt about the ebony-haired girl, he would have denied any affection with a red hue and warmth on his face. But now, if someone were to ask, Harry would just have the same blush on his face. The last night was eye opening for the Boy-Who-Lived, and Harry could at least say he had a physical attraction to the Slytherin Princess. But Harry knew it wasn't just a physical attraction to the grey-eyed girl; he had admired her resistance from across the Great Hall and classrooms, and, after seeing her vulnerable, he knew he never wanted to see his Pansy crying.

" _My_ Pansy?" Harry whispered to himself, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Figuring he couldn't return to sleep, the Boy-Who-Lived decided to dress and head down to the Great Hall. With a sigh, he lifted himself up from his bed. After bathing and dressing in his school robes, he lumbered down the stairs and into the common room. He saw no one else in the common room so early, as it was at least three hours before classes started. When Harry passed the couch, though, he saw a familiar head of brown hair. Hermione lay on the couch with a textbook on her stomach and several large tomes on the table in front of the couch.

"Typical Hermione," Harry whispered with a chuckle and kneeled by her side to take the book off of her stomach. He then covered his best friend with the blanket.

Leaving the common room, Harry headed down to the Great Hall, his footsteps lightly echoing throughout the empty corridors. Even as an "unofficial eighth-year," Harry was turned around by the Grand Staircase until he had finally come to the first-floor landing. The messy-haired young man had finally found his way onto the first-floor landing when he felt himself being pulled to his right by his elbow.

The Boy-Who-Lived noticed he was in an unused classroom and had a jinx on the tip of his tongue before a very familiar pair of lips descended on his. The kiss was brief, and Harry had no time to close his eyes and return it before feeling the addictive lips separating from his and seeing a warm pair of grey eyes. He couldn't help but smile and draw the lithe beauty in front of him into his arms.

"Good morning to you too, Pansy," Harry said with a kiss to her adorable pert nose. "But next time, could you try not to give me a heart attack."

Pansy looked up at him with a playful smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. "No promises, Harry. I quite like being spontaneous."

Harry closed his eyes and hummed as his ebony-haired temptress ran her nails across the back of his neck. When he opened his eyes, he lifted Pansy onto a nearby desk, eliciting a delighted shriek.

"How's that for spontaneous?" Harry said with a smirk, trapping Pansy between his arms.

"It's a good start," Pansy said, quickly wrapping her legs around his hips in a vice-like grip.

With a chuckle, Harry pushed back Pansy's silken hair and began peppering her neck with kisses, drawing out giggles and moans from the beauty in his arms. She returned his affections, tightening her legs around his waist and raking her nails up and down his back. He moved up, cupping her face in his hands, and set to cover it with quick kisses—her warm cheeks, her forehead, and her delicate eyelids. The raven-haired young man finally reached her lips when she let out a loud yawn.

"Tired?" Harry said, laughing. "Or am I boring you?"

"Definitely not boring," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't sleep much last night."

Harry ran his fingers through Pansy's soft hair, making her purr in contentment. "You don't have to apologize. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Just nightmares, Harry. You don't have to worry," she said, lazily kissing his neck.

Harry sighed to himself; yet another thing they had in common that he didn't exactly want to share. He turned his head to kiss her forehead and saw her with her eyes closed and a slightly open mouth.

"Pansy," Harry whispered and was met with her drowsily rubbing her eyes. "Sleeping on a desk hardly seems comfortable. Come on."

Harry stepped away from the desk with Pansy clinging to him. Carrying her, he walked to the wall and set her down on her feet.

"Trying to recreate yesterday, Harry?" Pansy asked tiredly.

"Actually, yes," he said with a half-smile and taking off his robe. "I'm just going to make it a little more comfortable. Take off your robe."

"Already trying to get me out of my clothes?" Pansy asked with a raised eyebrow as she took off her robe. "I didn't know you moved so quickly."

Harry laughed at the assumption as he took her robe and laid it on top of his robe on the ground. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who put my hands on your bum last night. _Molliare_."

"I didn't hear you complaining."

"I never said I was complaining," Harry said as he sat down against the wall and the cushioned robes and held his hand out for Pansy.

The grey-eyed beauty graciously took his hand and surprised Harry by sitting down on his lap and laying her head on his left shoulder. Harry felt his entire face warming as he did his best not to realize the position he found himself. From the curve of her back to the curve of her bum, Pansy's body felt as if it were perfectly shaped to fit his as she wiggled to get into a comfortable position.

"I'm sure your charms work is excellent, Harry," she said, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and kissing his quickly reddening cheek. "But you are so much more comfortable."

Harry kissed the top of her head in response and checked his watch, noting that it was two hours until classes started.

Pansy saw the time as well and waved her wand, muttering " _Alarme_. It's okay. We'll wake up before classes start," she said before kissing him. "Goodnight, Harry."

As Harry felt the woman in his arms cuddle into his chest and wrap her arms around his chest, he had a feeling of complacency he hadn't felt since he had defeated Voldemort. The Boy-Who-Lived couldn't help but smile at nothing in particular and kiss the top of Pansy's head again.

"Good night, Pansy."

As both of the tired students quickly fell asleep with smiles on their faces, neither noticed a pair of warm green eyes peeking at the peaceful scene through the cracked door. They also didn't notice the old wooden door silently close and the glow of a privacy charm being cast upon it.

As the morning sun was rising and casting its warming rays onto Hogwarts, Harry and Pansy felt themselves wearily waking from their slumbers. While consciousness quickly flooded Harry awake like a rushing river, Pansy proved to be more resistant, clutching to sleep as if it was a life raft. At the feeling of her face nuzzling further into his chest, he gave a light chuckle and tightened his hold around her waist.

The tired temptress in his arms gradually raised her head and laid a quick kiss on his lips as she straddled his hips with her legs. "I'm beginning to enjoy waking up like this," she drowsily said with a smile and laid her face in the crook of his neck.

"Me too," he said, stroking her back.

Minutes passed as the young couple sat in silence holding onto each other. Harry lazily drew patterns into Pansy's hips as he relished the warmth of her body against his and her vanilla scented hair. A few more moments of silence passed until he felt her let out a loud breath on his neck, making him shiver.

"Harry, th-there's something I need to get off my chest," she said as she grabbed his tie with her delicate fingers and fiddled with it. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said, during the battle, I mean."

Harry tensed when she brought up the battle, but it didn't hinder his response. "Pansy you don't need to-"

"Yes I do," she interrupted him, still looking down at his tie and fiddling with it. "For some stupid reason, I really thought V-Vol-Voldemort wouldn't destroy Hogwarts if we handed you over. I was scared and tired of fighting. Everyone I knew either died or joined him. I didn't want it to go on for any longer. I just wanted everything to end."

As Pansy poured her heart out to him, Harry, hoping to calm her, drew her closer into his arms and ran his fingers through her hair. When she had finished, Harry lifted her chin up to look her in the eye. When emerald met grey, and he saw her holding back tears, Harry could have sworn time stopped, and he had an intense desire to assuage her fears.

"Pansy, you don't need to apologize," he said after kissing her quivering lips. "I forgave you a long time ago. I saw that you were scared, and I don't blame you for what you did, so please don't blame yourself."

He watched as the ebony-haired woman did nothing but stare at him, frozen in shock. When he finished, Pansy dove forward and hugged him as if her life depended on it. Harry was so surprised by her actions that he too froze for a few seconds then wrapped his arms around her hips. Minutes passed as he held her shaking body in silence until she mumbled something into the crook of his neck.

"What?"

Pansy lifted her face from his neck with tears running down her perfect porcelain cheeks, and Harry couldn't help himself from cupping her face and wiping away her tears. It seemed as if she barely noticed as she just stared longingly into his eyes.

"You have every reason to hate me," she said with a shaking voice.

"With everything that's happened last night, do you think I hate you?" Harry asked her as he leaned forward.

"I'm still not sure," she said, her eyes lightening up with a playful spark. "Care to prove it to me?"

With a chuckle, Harry gently placed his right hand on the back of her head and his left on the small of her back. He leaned forward slowly until he finally felt the full, addictive lips he just couldn't seem to get enough of. The kiss was slow, not like the rushed and passionate ones they had shared over the past twelve hours. Harry didn't mind the change at all as he closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to feel the beauty in his arms. Pansy didn't seem to mind either, as she relaxed her body against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. Harry lost himself in the feel of her supple lips as they moved with his, the smell of her vanilla scented hair, and the feeling of her body that seemed to fit perfectly to his.

Harry gathered enough Gryffindor courage to move his left hand down to the curve of her bum when he felt a small but firm hand on his chest. He quickly rushed his hand back to the small of her back when Pansy separated her lips from his.

"Something doesn't feel right," she said looking off to her right.

"What? Was it something I did? I'm sorry," Harry said breathlessly. He'd only kissed two girls before, and neither of them had felt anywhere nearly as amazing as that.

Pansy turned to him, and her eyes widened. "What? Oh, no, it was nothing you did. That felt great." She reached for her wand. " _Tempus_."

When she saw the time, Pansy nearly jumped off Harry's lap and began to tug at her cloak. "Oh my gosh. Merlin! We slept through the alarm."

Harry only watched as she started to hyperventilate. "Get off my cloak, Harry. We're going to be late!"

"Pansy, if I get up now, you're going to fall on your arse," Harry said, grinning at the frantic witch in front of him.

Pansy fixed him with a glare as she relented her grip on her robe. Teasing her, Harry languidly stood up, grinning at her visible impatience as she tapped her foot. Ever the gentleman, he scooped up her robe and helped her into it, receiving a chaste kiss as thanks and a punch to his stomach for making her wait. As soon as he put on his robe, he was hit with a rushed _Tergeo_ to remove the dust, and his hand was pulled surprisingly strongly.

"Come on, Scarhead," she growled. "We're going to be late."

Harry had been ready to follow Pansy, but when he heard that wretched name, he found enough strength in his legs to root himself to the spot before they reached the classroom door. As much as a hurry Pansy seemed to be in, though, her hold on his hand didn't waver as she tried to pull him forward with an adorable glare. He would have laughed if he weren't at least a little afraid of what she could do to him. With a huff, she got behind him and tried to push, surprising Harry when he was pushed forward, if only a little.

"Scarhead?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Pansy, if you want to have nicknames, that's fine by me, but mine will not be Scarhead."

"Is it really the time to be addressing this?" Pansy growled out with a great push against his back.

Harry was rather enjoying his innate marauder as he turned around and chuckled at the sight of a hectic Pansy Parkinson; her medium length dark hair was slightly disheveled, her robes were wrinkled, and the green and silver tie resting around her neck lay loose and crooked.

"Maybe not," he said with a grin. "But seeing you riled up like this is rather cute."

The Man-Who-Conquered laughed at the pink that dusted her cheeks at his compliment then winced as he felt a perfectly manicured finger jabbed his chest.

Pansy continued glaring at him. "Then you better get moving, Potter, or I'm about to get downright adorable," she said after blowing a stray hair out of her face only for it to fall back over her left eye.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Harry said as he leaned down and gently pushed the stubborn hair behind her ear, lightly dragging his fingers over her rosy cheeks. "My own adorable Slytherin princess. I rather like it."

As he looked in her beautiful grey eyes, Harry could see two Pansy's fighting for control: one that obviously wanted to kiss him silly, and another that wanted to stupefy him and levitate him to Potions. The latter was currently winning. With a sigh, he bent down and kissed her cheek.

"Okay, I've had my fun," he said. "Let's get down to Potions."

He was barely able to finish his sentence before Pansy grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door in her desperate dash to the dungeons. He certainly felt sorry for the small group of younger students who were unfortunately behind the door as Pansy nearly bowled them over in her haste. Apart from the startled younger years, there were a few other students who froze in shock at the running duo.

When they were a few meters from the Potions classroom, Harry once again abruptly stopped and received a sharp glare from the exasperated woman in front of him. He could tell she was about to start yelling and quickly placed his finger over her lush lips. Pansy fixed him with a glare of her grey eyes that clearly said she was going to bite his finger if he didn't remove it, and Harry did his best not to cower.

Taking his time to lift his finger from her soft lips, he whispered, "Do you really want to go in there looking like we just shagged?"

Pansy's eyes widened, and she hurriedly grabbed his tie, straightening it a little too tightly in her haste. Harry straightened her emerald and silver tie and her soft hair, enjoying the feeling of it running through his fingers. After unsuccessfully trying to make his uncooperative hair "presentable," the Slytherin Princess gave up with a light-hearted scoff. After she had given a short nod, he opened the door, and they walked into the musty classroom to be met with confused glances from their classmates.

Harry saw Hermione bent over her cauldron as she stared at him, her brown eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment. The rest of the class followed suit, freezing in the middle of collecting ingredients.

The shock must have begun to wear off, as Professor Slughorn stood up from his desk. "Ah, Harry, m'boy. There you are. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show. Only five minutes late. Come in," the balding professor said jovially. "And you too, Miss Parkinson."

"Sorry, Professor. I accidentally slept a bit late," Harry said, not exactly lying.

Pansy seemed to have a lie at the ready, though. "I am terribly sorry, sir. I was sending a letter from the owlery and got turned around on the grand staircase."

Harry was amazed at Pansy's ability to keep a straight face and lie, though he did his best not to show it. She certainly was in the house of the cunning for a reason.

The old man waved them off. "Not to mind, Miss Parkinson. I've gotten turned around on that staircase plenty of times, myself." He laughed to himself at that. "You will be making the Blood-Replenishing Potion today. Page 264 in your books. Since everyone has already paired up, you two will be working together."

As they shrugged and turned to the only empty desk in the room, he spoke up again.

"I will be speaking with you two after class, though."

Potions proceeded in relative silence, with the sounds of knives hitting wood and the clinking of equipment. Near the middle of the class, Seamus once again proved to everyone his proclivity for pyrotechnics but surprised the class when the explosion barely cracked his cauldron. As the class went on, Harry could not help but notice how well he and Pansy worked together. Even though they came to class late, they ended their potion earlier than everybody else.

By the time the class ended, the air in the old classroom was mustier than ever. Harry was sure he could smell a light trace of ammonium and cleaning products in the air. Packing up his books, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Hermione with a curious look.

"Harry, where were you this morning? Ron said you weren't there when he woke up," she whispered as everybody else was leaving.

Over Hermione's shoulder, Harry could see Pansy looking at him from the corner of her eye. He noticed a faint smirk as if she was amused he was obviously being caught in a lie.

"Right. Sorry about that, Hermione. It was just the first thing that came to mind," Harry stuttered out. "Sorry I was late."

Hermione stared at him with those inquisitive brown eyes of hers. Her curly hair was more frazzled than ever after the difficult potion. She looked at him, her left eyebrow raised up as if she were combing through his words and searching for evidence to the contrary.

"Okay," Hermione said, clearly not believing everything. She lightly touched his arm and said, "You don't have to lie to me, Harry."

The Boy-Who-Lived felt a twinge of regret when she stared into his eyes with her chocolate brown eyes. They were looking full of worry at him. He wanted to tell his best friend of seven years about Pansy, about his new feelings for her, about everything. Yet, somehow he couldn't bring himself to, not yet, at least.

"I know, and I'll tell you the truth later," he said, trying his best to assuage the worried witch. "I have to talk with Slughorn now, though. Save me a seat in Herbology?"

The brightest witch of her age gave a brilliant smile, nodded, and set off for the next class at a brisk pace.

When the ebony-haired young wizard turned from watching Hermione walk through the doorway, he was met with an inquisitive and intense stare from the Slytherin Princess. The air in the classroom became less musty as Professor Slughorn opened the windows. Soon it was just Hary, Pansy, and Slughorn in the dark classroom as the portly professor set about collecting vials for grading.

"What was all that about?" Pansy whispered with a rather heated voice.

"What was what?"

Pansy looked with a hard glare at him and poked him in the chest with her perfectly manicured finger. Harry flinched at the prodding from the maroon painted fingernail. Seconds passed until her eyes softened in confusion.

"Are you really that thick, Harry?"

"Thick about what?" Harry asked as Pansy turned to walk to Professor Slughorn.

Pansy looked at him with a somewhat pitying face before she said, "Nothing, nothing at all." She said it with an amused lilt in her voice, though.

The raven-haired wizard was about to respond when Slughorn noticed the two of them were still in the classroom. The balding professor gave them a smile and ushered them over to his desk. When both were in front of the desk with wary faces, he began to speak.

"Ah, Harry, Miss Parkinson, there you are. I must say I was quite surprised at your tardiness, Miss Parkinson. You even asked days ago when we would be making the Blood-Replenishing Potion," he said as he looked with bewilderment at her. "Is it still not your goal to become a healer?"

"It is, sir," Pansy replied as Harry turned to face her with surprise on his face.

"Good. I wouldn't want such raw talent go to waste," he praised, eliciting a bright smile from Pansy.

Slughorn seemed to struggle for a few seconds before speaking to Harry. His awkwardness was as clear as day. The two students locked eyes from the corners of their eyes wondering what was going to come from his mouth.

"Er, Harry, I feel as if I have to let you know that you have an Acceptable at the moment," he said, looking at the two students he knew to be, at best, at odds with each other. "As you know, an Exceeds Expectations in Potions is required to enter the Auror Program. You do still plan to become an Auror?" At Harry's nod, he continued. "Under normal circumstances, I would have brought this to your attention at another time; however, the current situation is convenient. Miss Parkinson, here, holds an Outstanding," he said, and Pansy stood a little straighter.

The raven-haired wizard's eyes widened as he connected the dots before Professor Slughorn was able to finish his stuttering. He turned to see Pansy looking at him with the same expression.

"For the purpose of forging house relations and raising your marks, having Miss Parkinson tutor you would be beneficial," he said.

Seconds passed as the two students stood in still silence.

"I'll do it," both said nearly simultaneously.

Slughorn was visibly taken aback by their acceptance. His thick, brown eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion before he nodded. After he gathered up the rest of his vials and walked into his office, the two bewildered students picked up their bags and left the musty classroom.

As soon as the two walked out into the empty hallway, Pansy began to laugh her beautiful laugh, and Harry joined in. Surprisingly, no one showed in the hall to investigate the boisterous laughing. Pansy hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and Harry wrapped his hands around her waist. After a while of laughing and leaning against each other, Pansy looked into his eyes with a twinkle in hers.

"Well, Mr. Potter I'll be seeing you for class soon," she said gaily. "We have to get started. For the sake of forging house relations, of course."

Harry lightly chuckled as he held the stunning brunette in his arms. "Of course, Professor Parkinson. I would hate for anything to become unprofessional."

"Oh ha ha, Harry. Just you try to skip out on my class," she said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "You will face severe… punishment."

The raven-haired witch looked around the two of them before leaning up and giving him a peck on his lips. He quickly leaned forward and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. The lithe Slytherin Princess gently pushed him back into the dungeon wall and drew her arms tighter around his neck. The kiss continued for a minute until Harry pulled away breathless.

"We should probably get going to class," he said still trying to catch his breath.

Pansy hesitantly nodded and said, "Okay."

As she walked away and turned the corner, Pansy gave him a small wave and a wink. Harry smiled to himself and walked off in the opposite direction to Herbology. When he put his right hand into his pocket, he felt a piece of parchment. As he walked, he unfolded the parchment and read the note, _After supper at 8. Astronomy Tower. See you there. XOXO_. With a newfound spring in his step, Harry Potter quickly made his way to the greenhouses. In his haze, the young man didn't notice a pair of brown eyes that had watched the two students from the shadows.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who has stuck through what could possibly be a draft that still needs a few finishing tweaks here and there. If you believe I have made a couple mistakes, misspelled anything, or my grammar just sucks, please let me know. I am open to any and all criticism, as long as it is directed toward my writing skills in particular. I do not appreciate flames, and I stick by the idea that if you don't like the premise of a story, don't read it. If you have an open mind, go ahead; the world definitely needs more tolerance.

On that note, I am humoring the idea of creating a storyline that may or may not involve a Harry/Pansy/Hermione pairing because I am a Harmonian at heart. Please let me know what you think of my story going that way, and if you want it or not.

On a final note, if you are kind enough to review, please put your Hogwarts house at the end. I am the sole Ravenclaw in a group of friends that is made up of Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and one Gryffindor. It would be nice to know how many more Eagles are out there.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello Fanfiction, the followers of my story, and fellow Hansy (Pots&Pans) lovers. I, emeraldflash, am back after a way too long break from updating. Despite this being my shortest chapter so far, it seemed to take me the longest to finish. Though, I'm sure every writer on Fanfiction has had their fair share of writer's block. With this poor excuse out of the way, please enjoy the third chapter of A New Perspective. I'd just like to ask everyone, once again, to let me know if you see any spelling or grammatical errors; I really am trying to become a better writer. Hopefully, my future books will become popular enough to have fanfiction written about them.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its affiliates are not my property. That right belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am just glad Fanfiction exists so we can all read the stories the answer the question that haunts every movie, book, and video game: "What if?"

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Chapter 3

The day was passing much too slow for Harry's taste as he wished for nothing more than for it to speed up to his date with Pansy. Herbology seemed slower than ever as Hermione kept sneaking glances at him; she was surprisingly conspicuous with her attempts. It certainly didn't help that she stood next to him, and he could practically feel her curiosity practically emanating off of her.

The large class stood in the warm greenhouse gathering Alihotsy leaves. The warmth of the air along with the masks the students wore didn't help them stave off the overcoming feeling of dehydration. Lost in his thoughts, Harry noticed that everyone else was lightly sweating. He couldn't help but let his mind wander to his meeting atop the Astronomy Tower with Pansy. It seemed that no matter how much he tried to distract himself with his classwork, his mind kept wandering back to the Slytherin Princess. The young wizard nearly chuckled as he thought he was spelled. Unfortunately for him, Hermione, his partner, caught him from the corner of her eye.

"What's so funny, Harry?" the brightest witch of her age asked as she tried to grab the uncooperative branches.

Thankfully for the class, the Alihotsy tree was not as aggressive as the Whomping Willow. The branches only did everything they could to keep their leaves and gave off a gas that induced uncontrollable laughter. So far only one person had to leave for the hospital wing while in a fit of hysteria.

"Nothing, really. I just remembered something funny," he said as he roughly grabbed the willowy branch and pulled it taut for her to cut.

"Well, okay," Hermione said as she carefully sheared the leaves. "So, er…"

"Yeah?" Harry said as he tried to grab another branch only for it to slip through his fingers.

"Well, how are things going between you and Ginny?" she said.

"Back to that again, are we?" Harry said as he grabbed another branch for her to prune. "She still won't stop trying to get back together with me. It's starting to get annoying, actually."

In truth, Harry wasn't quite sure how he felt about the youngest Weasley. She was still the beautiful young woman she had grown to become, but Harry couldn't seem to reignite the spark he held for her in sixth year. This wasn't to say that the redheaded witch did not try to rekindle what they once had. Let's just say the young woman wasn't quite subtle in her attempts, and Harry tried his best to keep her at arm's length because of it.

After Voldemort was finished and the war ended, Ginny was quick to jump into the arms of the Boy-Who-Lived turned Man-Who-Conquered/Won. The young wizard would have gladly caught her, though he quickly realized that, despite her best efforts, Ginny still saw him as the hero of her childhood bedtime stories. The first few days after his victory, Harry had tried to requite her feelings; however, he came to the realization he was using her adoration for him. Lost in his thoughts, Harry didn't hear all of what Hermione said.

"-would it, Harry?" she said, trying to quickly cut the last few leaves.

"Sorry, what did you say?" he said.

Hermione stared at him with concern in her eyes. "I said it couldn't hurt to just talk to her and let her know you're no longer interested," she said.

Harry sighed and grabbed at the last few branches that still had leaves. "Believe me; I would if I could. But you know what she's like whenever I'm around."

Even though it was a warm day he was in the oven of a greenhouse, Harry felt a shiver run up along his spine. To tell the truth, the Weasley daughter's actions unnerved him. Ginny knew she was one of the more attractive witches in Hogwarts and she tried to use that to her advantage.

During the weekends, she wore clothes that were much too revealing—low-cut shirts, tight pants, and short skirts that barely met Hogwarts regulation. Her attempts to entice Harry quickly garnered the wrong kind of attention from the male populace of Hogwarts.

Harry was conflicted when it came to Ginny. On the one hand, he felt as if he wanted to protect her from the lecherous male eyes and the scandalized female looks that followed her whenever she walked into a room. On the other hand, he did not want to give the girl he saw as a sister false hope. Hermione once again brought Harry out of his musings with a snap in front of his face.

"I understand, Harry, but if you don't do anything to stop it soon, she may cross a line," Hermione said. "And while you are at it, you can talk to your fan club, too."

In his surprise, Harry's grip on the wriggling branches slipped, and his hand came dangerously close to Hermione's shears. "My what?"

"Your fan club," Hermione said as she gave him a look of disbelief. "Really, Harry? You've never noticed all the people that gawk at you as though you are the next coming of Merlin? And all the girls that look at you like you are a piece of meat?"

"Er, no?" Harry said, not knowing what to say.

"Merlin, Harry!" she whispered now that they were starting to talk loudly. "Just look to your right."

Following her instruction, Harry looked to his right and saw a short, mousy haired blonde in Hufflepuff colors staring at him through a pair of glasses. Next to her, the girl's partner looked miffed as she tried to simultaneously grab and cut the branches. Only half of their leaves were gone, and Harry knew they were going to have to work much faster if they wanted to be done by the time Herbology ended. When his eyes met her bright blue ones, her face took on a very red hue, and she turned back to the Alihotsy. He turned back and saw Hermione shake her head disappointingly.

"Well, she's a little cute, but if she can't even approach me, there is nothing there," Harry said. "Plus, you know how bad I am when it comes to girls."

"That I do," Hermione said with a small smile. "So you would like it if a girl is up front with you?"

Harry thought about her question for a while after they had finished cutting the last of their leaves. He thought about how Pansy was afraid at first to tell him how she felt—how she was the first to start their first kiss. He remembered how much hope her stunning grey eyes held and the fear that he wouldn't return her kiss. But she had the courage to overcome her fear.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Harry said. "Why are you asking? Trying to set me up with someone?"

"No, just wondering what kind of girl it takes to snag you," she said.

The rest of the class passed in silence as Harry and Hermione waited for the class to end. Soon enough, Professor Sprout released the class for the day. When the two passed the girl that was staring at him, Harry saw that the two miraculously finished pruning their Alihotsy tree, though her partner, a skinny brunette from Hufflepuff, was glaring daggers at her.

When Harry and Hermione made it to the Great Hall, they saw Ron sitting at the Gryffindor table with Neville, Dean, and Seamus. Dean and Seamus sat across from Ron and Neville—Neville was pointing to a part of an essay Seamus had laid out in front of him. As usual, Ron already had his plate stacked with food and was talking animatedly with Dean. Ron looked up as they approached and waved them over.

"I guyth," Ron said, his mouth filled with one of the two sandwiches on his plate.

"Ron, finish eating before you speak, please," Hermione said as she sat down next to Neville and Harry unceremoniously plopped down next to Seamus.

Ron rolled his eyes and forcibly swallowed down a large part of the food before speaking. "Hi guys, how're you doing?"

"Not bad," Hermione said as she began to place food on her plate. "Well, for me. Harry has finally learned about his fan club," she said, much to the amusement of the group.

As they laughed at his misfortune, Harry noticed a lone figure walk into the Great Hall from the corner of his eye. It was Pansy. His eyes subtly followed her as she strode with her nose in the air to the Slytherin table. The kind-hearted wizard he was, Harry bristled with anger as she sat at the end of the table and the rest of the Slytherins moved away, clearing enough space for five students on both sides of the table. Even though Pansy showed no emotion and started to pick fruit and salad onto her plate, Harry could tell she was still deeply hurt. He had watched her cry and held her when sobs wracked through her body. The Man-Who-Conquered/Won wanted to do nothing more than to sit by her side and give her a peck on the cheek (or two…or three).

As he was about to do so, Pansy's alluring grey eyes met his. She had seemed to know what he was about to do and gave him an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

"-rry, Harry?" Harry heard Ron say.

"What?" He said with apparently a bit of a bite and saw Ron flinch back.

"We were talking about setting up a Quidditch game over the weekend," Ron said. "Are you in?"

Harry was about to say yes at the thought of playing Quidditch when he saw Pansy out of the corner of his eye. The memory of her brilliant smile after he asked her to Hogsmeade flashed in his head. He knew he couldn't break his promise, or worse, see her sad again.

"When is it?" Harry said.

"Er, I'm not sure," Ron said. "What's wrong? You're normally eager to get back on your broom. Do you have plans or something?" he said as he took another large bite of his second sandwich.

"Yes I do, actually," Harry said. "We do have that essay for Filch to do by next week," he said, getting a smile from Hermione for remembering the assignment and not waiting until the last minute as he often did.

Ron seemed to be thinking for a moment, trying to remember the lengthy essay Filch had assigned. The shock that showed up on Ron's face told Harry that he had forgotten; however, he returned to his normal self as he took another bite.

"Oh, right," Ron said glumly. "But that can wait for a few more days, right?" which garnered an eye roll from Hermione for his antics.

"No it can't Ron," Harry said. "And I'm Head Boy now. I can't show myself slacking off."

"That's great, Harry," Hermione praised him for his forethought. "Does this mean I won't be reading over your essay from now on," she said with a small grin.

"Oh no, you most definitely will, Hermione," Harry said with a smile. "You're still the smartest person I know, and you know I still need the help. Just to proofread, of course."

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave Harry a playful huff. "Fine, but you can not keep depending on me to fix your work, Harry. We are going to be graduating soon."

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry said with a grin. "But we're going to be friends forever. You're stuck with me."

Hermione laughed at Harry, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement. She leaned over and placed her hand on his as she laughed along with Harry. Across from Harry, Ron narrowed his blue eyes in his direction, confusing Harry.

Harry spared a glance toward the end of Slytherin table and saw Pansy. Her eyes were focused on her salad as she slowly ate. He noticed her lustrous black hair hanging down like a veil, shielding her from the glares and stares from the Slytherins on her right. Seeing her slightly slumped shoulders, Harry once again felt the urge to sit by her side and wrap his arm around her. He didn't know why she had warned him against it, but he figured that she must have had a reason.

"Mate, what are you doing?" Harry heard Ron's voice.

"What?" Harry asked, tearing his eyes away from Pansy.

Before Ron could keep talking, Hermione interrupted. "You might as well save your breath, Ron. Harry has been spacing out all day," she said, giving Harry a pointed stare before she noticed something to her left.

Harry turned to his right and nearly paled at what he saw. There, at the end of the Gryffindor table, stood the red-haired Ginny Weasley, staring at him the way a predator might eye a prey. A couple of people tried to get the Weasley's attention, but all of her focus was solely on the Boy-Who-Lived. When she noticed Harry looking, the redheaded witch slowly strode forward. Without looking, Harry quickly pulled someone to sit on his right to block Ginny.

"Er, hi, Jimmy," Harry awkwardly said to the confused Beater. "We er…might be setting up a Quidditch game over the weekend. Might make it a practice. Could you tell Ritchie for me?"

The shocked fifth-year stared at him for a moment then said, "Sure, Captain. Need me to tell anyone else?"

"Er, no thanks. Want to join us?"

"No thanks. I was about to head off to the library." And with that, Harry's closest shield between him and Ginny had left.

As soon as Ginny saw Jimmy left, she made a beeline for the spot next to the Boy-Who-Lived. As she was striding her way to Harry, he looked across the Great Hall and saw Pansy finish her lunch and stand up. Harry decided to follow suit.

"I'll see you later, guys. I forgot I need to pick up some books from the library," Harry said, though Ron had returned to his second sandwich and was soon starting on the third, and Hermione turned to talk to Neville about the upcoming Herbology exam.

Harry, seeing Pansy leave, quickly strode to the Grand Entrance. As he was a couple of meters away from the large doorway, Ginny blocked his path and grabbed his tanned hand with her pale, freckled ones. Her brown eyes emanated a single-minded adoration for the Boy-Who-Lived. The raven-haired wizard looked over her head and saw Pansy turn away from the Great Hall but not without glancing at him.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Harry said, trying to placate the young witch. "But I really do need to get to the library."

After wrenching his hand free of Ginny's iron tight grip, Harry sped out of the Great Hall to follow the target of his desire. He noticed a flash of familiar medium length dark hair to his left and followed. He followed. When Harry came to where he saw her disappear, he noticed Pansy's alluring hair again as she went up the Grand Staircase. The Man-Who-Conquered followed after her, sometimes seeing her heels or the swish of her cloak as she turned corners, leading him through Hogwarts. He recognized her game for what it was, a game of cat and mouse, and he was enjoying it.

As the two kept up their game of cat and mouse, Pansy's hints became smaller and smaller. When Harry had reached the fourth floor, he had finally lost her. Alone in the hallway, Harry strolled along its length enjoying the silence. The famed wizard took in the old beauty of Hogwarts Castle until he was harshly pulled into an alcove he hadn't noticed.

"Merlin, Pansy!" Harry exclaimed. "What did I say about giving me heart attacks?"

"That I should try to do it as much as possible," Pansy said, her grey eyes twinkling in enjoyment. "Why were you following me anyway, Harry? Can you really not wait until eight?"

Harry sputtered trying to think of a good excuse under Pansy's ebullient mocking stare. For a while, he forgot just why he followed the stunning witch in his arms. She circled her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. His mind raced, trying to remember as he felt peppered kisses on the base of his neck.

"During lunch, I wanted to sit with you," Harry said with a shaking voice. "Wanted to show everyone that you're my, er…girlfriend."

"So I'm your girlfriend now," Pansy shyly said, though he could feel her smiling against his neck.

"I'd like to think so," Harry said as he hugged her tighter. "We've done things most couples do well after a first date. What do you say, will you be my girlfriend?"

Pansy lifted her head from his shoulder and pulled away from him. Her beautifully sculpted eyebrow arched as she looked up at him. Harry felt like shrinking away.

"Well, when you say it like that, how can a girl say no?"

Her voice dripped with sarcasm, and Harry couldn't help but recoil. Rolling his eyes with a smile, he uncomfortably kneeled in the small alcove. His knee was between her legs, and if he didn't tilt his head up to meet her eyes, his face would have been pressed into her tummy. Taking her small hand in his, he tried again.

"If anyone told me I'd be doing this a couple years ago, I'd have sent them to the hospital wing," he said. "Pansy, we've slept together and snogged plenty of times, and I just can't seem to get enough. If you'll let me, I'll gladly love to get to know you more. Will you give me the honor of being your boyfriend?"

Blushing, Pansy gave a shaky, "Yes."

Harry felt a large grin overtake his face as he quickly stood up, narrowly missing hitting Pansy's chin. He hugged her tightly, and she gently wrapped her arms around his neck. The Man-Who-Conquered felt as if he could jump for joy, but he would have hit his head on the ceiling.

"You said yes!" he said excitedly.

"Yes I did," she said with a large smile. "Now are young going to kiss your girlfriend, or do I need to make the first move again?"

Harry dove forward and covered her lips with his. Their kiss was frantic and rushed but didn't lack any of the passion the two had built. Her addictive taste made the raven-haired wizard feel something he had never felt before: the desire to make her as his. To mark her. To show every first- to seventh-year in Hogwarts that Pansy Parkinson was his girlfriend and him her boyfriend. This single-minded desire and her moans drove him to her neck, kissing every centimeter of her delicate, lightly tanned skin. Pansy gave as good as she got, tugging at his hair and moaning his name. Her sultry whimpers echoed through the empty hallway.

An idea struck Harry, and he licked the soft skin of her neck. He then gave her a small bite.

"Harry!" Pansy shrieked, making him separate from her.

"What?" He said.

"You bit me," she said, bringing her hand up to her neck.

"Really?" The young wizard said with a grin. "Did I?"

Harry took her hand in his and looked at her neck. He saw a light mark forming where he had bitten her. He supposed he should have felt bad about it, but he was more satisfied with placing his mark on her. She apparently saw his grin.

"You meant to do this? Harry." She cried out.

At the sight of her scared, Harry truly felt sorry. Did he move too fast? Did he hurt her? Questions ran through his head the longer he looked into her scared eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Pansy. Did I hurt you?" He said as he lightly ran his finger over the mark, making Pansy shiver.

"Well, no. It just stung a little," she said. "That really shocked me, Harry."

"I'm so sorry," he said, drawing her closer into his arms and burying his face into her hair. "I just…just wanted to do something. Something that would show everyone you are mine."

"I am yours, and you are mine," she said, pushing him away and looking into his eyes. "Harry, you don't have to prove it to anyone."

Entranced by her beautiful grey eyes, Harry sunk back into her arms. He enjoyed the feeling of her svelte body against his. Her arms encircled his neck, and her fingers ran through his unruly hair. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, reassuring him.

The brunette beauty in his arms began to giggle, confusing Harry. He raised his face from her hair and watched as she started to shake with barely controlled laughter. She turned up to him after wiping her eyes and gave him a quick kiss.

"We're going to throw this whole castle for a loop, aren't we, Potter," she said with a hint of apprehension.

"We most certainly will, Miss Parkinson," he said before leaning down to capture her lips with his.

As Pansy kissed him back, Harry knew that after this, he was going to be able to wait until eight. Hopefully, he would be able to remember why he had even started following the amazing witch.

* * *

And with this, the third chapter of A New Perspective is done. I'm sorry it's shorter than the other chapters so far.

Hopefully, you will comment on my story. Please do; I love the community here at Fanfiction (Sometimes. Beware trolls and flames). As with all my other chapters, I ask that you please let me know if I've made any mistakes and what works or doesn't work.

Also, please shout out your Hogwarts house in your comments. I'll go first. RAVENCLAW!

Or maybe you would like to shout out your Ilvermorny house. That's fine too. PUKWUDGIE!


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